Sunday, March 15, 2009

Go Gyoza!

On weekends when I don't have huge plans I like to undertake cooking projects that I have never attempted before. I will try things that I know are time consuming and tedious because it is so much fun for me. I love to cook and I love to experiment with daring recipes. I have been wanting to make homemade gyoza or dumplings for a long time but my weekends have been too busy and jam packed. This past weekend I had my first free Saturday in a long time and I couldn't wait to jump right into the gyoza recipe I had been saving.

Stuffing the gyoza is the only detailed part of the entire recipe. Otherwise, cooking the stuffing and cooking the finished gyoza is simple. While stuffing the gyoza I knew I wouldn't be able to take pictures because the process is very intricate leaving no free hands for snapping pictures. I asked Forrest to help me out by taking some pictures as I stuffed and folded the gyoza, but we quickly realized that still pictures didn't convey the steps properly. I decided that a video was the best way to demonstrate the steps. For me, listening to my voice is like nails on a chalkboard so I chose not to narrate the steps in the video. I asked Forrest to do it because he has a much more pleasant voice (he used to host a sports talk radio show in college - he wants me to tell you that). He agreed because he is supportive. Ok, really - he agreed because I begged him.

and process until the pork is ground into smaller chunks, only a few pulses of the food processor. Do not puree.

Working with 1 gyoza skin at a time (cover remaining skins to prevent drying), spoon 1 scant tablespoon pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer (cover loosely with a towel to prevent drying).

When all skins are filled, remove towel

and cover with plastic wrap; freeze until firm for about 30 minutes. Place in zip-top plastic bags, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange frozen pot stickers in pan in a single layer; cook 2 minutes or until browned on bottom.

These gyoza were actually a lot easier than I had anticipated. Cooking the stuffing took all of 10 minutes and after the third gyoza the crimping/stuffing method became a breeze. They were very delicious and pretty and I love the fact that they are all frozen in the freezer and I can cook as many as I want at a time. They only take about 10-15 minutes out of the freezer which makes them worth the upfront time to stuff them all in order to have the special treats waiting in the freezer at your disposal.

14 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Yum yum yum!!! These look great! I love dumplings. At my sushi recipe they serve gyozas in a clear broth soup. Maybe you can try that with a few of the gyozas. Wish I was there to taste and make fun of Forrest in his video debut!

These look really good - we may have to try them! And thanks for the video, it worked perfectly for explaining that step! Oh, and I'm the same way as you in terms of trying some daring recipes on weekends cuz like to!